Paris Olympics 2024
Think tank: The Sutton Trust
Author(s): Various Authors
August 12, 2024
This report from UK think tank The Sutton Trust looks at the educational pathways of Team GB medallists.
Who can become a top Olympian in Great Britain?
As the Paris Olympic games comes to an end, our research looks at the athletes bringing home medals for Team GB. This includes the school type attended by athletes, to learn more about their socio-economic backgrounds.
This is information which for most Olympian is relatively widely available, and while not a perfect measure, one which can give us a crucial insight into the social and economic circumstances they grew up in – with private school attendance in particular strongly related to family income.
Do Team GB’s medallists come from a range of different socio-economic backgrounds, or do those from wealthier homes dominate?
This research also looks at the university attendance of our top athletes, to better understand the educational pathways they take enroute to the Olympic games.
